|
|
|
Horn of Africa Polio Free Again |
|
|
|
Written by Amanda Watkin
|
As of 30 July, the Horn of Africa is again polio-free, with Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda having reported no wild poliovirus cases for more than a year. The date marks a step toward the achievement of a major objective of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's new strategy -- stopping polio in Africa. The GPEI spearheading partners are the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S.for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF Centers.
As of 30 July, the Horn of Africa is again polio-free, with Ethiopia,
Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda having reported no wild poliovirus cases for
more than a year. The date marks a step toward the achievement of a
major objective of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's new
strategy -- stopping polio in Africa. The GPEI spearheading partners are
the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S.
for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.
The outbreak began in 2008, following the reappearance of wild
poliovirus type 1 in the border area of southern Sudan and Ethiopia, and
spread in early 2009 to the northern Sudanese city of Port Sudan and to
Kenya and Uganda. In total, 101 children were paralyzed by polio in
these four countries between 2 March 2008 and 30 July 2009. The cases in
Port Sudan sparked particular international concern because, from 2004
to 2006, wild poliovirus type 1 from that area spread to reinfect
several countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and
Yemen.
A combination of a series of multicountry immunization campaigns,
increased technical support, and strong political engagement by the
affected countries proved to be the backbone of the successful outbreak
response.
The threat of outbreaks remains a risk until transmission of wild
poliovirus is stopped in the remaining polio-endemic countries of
Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Importation of the virus from
such areas is responsible for ongoing outbreaks, such as in Angola and
Tajikistan, both of which have led to further international spread.
Financial constraints have been a concern in the fight against polio.
Somalia and Ethiopia, where vaccination campaigns are necessary to
protect gains, have had to delay polio-eradication activities to later
in the year in order to maintain efforts in endemic countries and
countries with re-established transmission of poliovirus.
* Read how Rotary and the other GPEI partners responded last year to
the polio outbreak in Africa
Centers
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090501_news_afoutbreak\
.aspx <http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090501_news_afoutbreak.aspx>
* Learn more about polio
http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/Pages/ridefault.asp\
x <http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/Pages/ridefault.aspx>
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 September 2010 )
|
|
